


A Beacon of Hope in a Dreary City

by Moggiye20, TigerNightCat



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Alternate Universe - Mob, Friendship, Gen, Minor Violence, Prom and Noct are minors in this, Talks of prostitution, so many bets are made, the mob is endeared by how oblivious Prom is, you know mob related stuff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-02
Updated: 2019-05-02
Packaged: 2020-02-15 22:53:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,224
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18678964
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Moggiye20/pseuds/Moggiye20, https://archiveofourown.org/users/TigerNightCat/pseuds/TigerNightCat
Summary: Writing prompt:You live in a city where crime runs rampant. One day, you save a young boy's life, not knowing that he is the crime lord's son, and you have just joined the no-harm list.orThe wholesome mobster AU no one asked for but we wrote 10k about.





	A Beacon of Hope in a Dreary City

**Author's Note:**

> Omg so Tiger and I went back and forth about this so much in chat that it had to be written. I hope you like it!

‘ _ Fuck, fuck, fuck, _ ’ sixteen year old Noctis inwardly panicked, peering around the corner of the alley he was hiding in, wiping his wet hair out of his eyes. Fucking rain. Fucking Nifs. His dad had taken him on his first meeting with the Fleuret mob to establish a treaty between the two factions and it turned to shit when members from the Niflheim gang showed up, shooting the hotel up. Noctis wasn’t new to the crime world, they had contingency plans for shit hitting the fan, but they didn’t count on the head of their security team, Drautos, turning his gun on them. Regis had sent Noctis out the window of the fourth floor room they were in (thankfully the second floor had a roof), while he and Sylva Via Fleuret’s son, Ravus, dealt with the matter at hand. 

Noctis then had to outrun his security detail when he realised they were traitors as well. Which how he ended up hiding in an alleyway. He was trying to remember where the turf lines ran and if he’d crossed from the Fleuret turf into Nif turf when a soft voice spoke up behind him. “Hi, are you okay?

Whirling around, knife in hand, Noctis froze when he saw a large blond boy standing there, paper bag of groceries in one hand, an umbrella in the other. “Uh…”

The boy’s concerned face broke into a gentle smile, completely oblivious to the knife in Noctis’ hand. “You seem lost, did you wanna get out of the rain? My place is just around the corner.”

Noctis stares at him in disbelief. Who asks a random ass stranger over? “I’d appreciate that,” he decided, discreetly putting his knife away. He figured hiding in an unknown civilian’s home was safer than the streets. And it wasn’t like he couldn’t take the kid out if he had to.

The kid grinned. “Cool! Right this way. I’m Prompto, by the way. Prompto Argentum.”

“Noctis.” 

“Nice to meet you!” True to his word, Prompto’s place was the building Noctis was hiding behind. He lead them down the hall on the main level and ushered Noctis inside after unlocking the door. “My mom’s away on a business trip,” he said, setting his umbrella by the door. 

The apartment was small with two bedrooms and a bathroom down the hall, the kitchen was a gally leading to a small dining room space and opened up to the living room. Noctis listened quietly for the sound of others in the apartment waiting to ambush him, but as he said, Prompto was alone. Slipping his shoes off and coat off, Noctis wandered into the living room to check out the TV set up. “You have Justice Monster V?” He exclaimed, eyes lighting up. He also had the game but with his dad bringing him into the family business more, he never had a chance to play.

Prompto grinned from the kitchen walkway, as he put groceries away. “Heck yeah! Stood in line at the midnight launch for it! You wanna play?”

“You know it!”

“Cool, lemme get this pizza cooking and then we can play!” He said, pulling a pizza from the freezer. He set up the oven and put the pizza in before joining Noctis in the living room, a can of soda in hand. “Drink?”

“Thank you,” Noctis smiled politely. He sat on the couch while Prompto got the console booted up and he checked the seal on the can and gave it a sniff before opening it.

“So I’ve never seen you around here before, did you just move here?” Prompto asked, sitting on the opposite side of the couch from Noctis. He handed him a controller.

“Oh uh no, uh my dad was checking out some storefronts he was interested in buying. He owns a few different businesses and was looking to expand,” Noctis rattled off, inwardly thanking Ignis for drilling that into his head. It almost sounded truthful. “I was, uh, bored, adults you know? So I wandered off playing that Monster Go game and uh kinda got lost. I’ve never been on this part of town before.”

“That’s fair, Insomnia is pretty huge,” Prompto gave him a grin before focusing on the game. “But dude that is so cool that your dad is so successful!”

Noctis couldn’t help but smile at how sincere Prompto said that. “Thanks, he worked pretty hard.” 

The two boys let the conversation drift off to concentrate on the game. They paused briefly when the timer on the oven went off signalling the pizza being finished. They played for a couple more hours after that and when Prompto cleaned up their dinner mess and returned, he asked, “Were you able to message your dad to let him know you’re here?”

Noctis blinked. Being the son of a crime lord was incredibly lonely when you knew people were only nice to you for two reasons; fear or greed. Prompto was so different that Noctis had had such a good time hanging with him he forgot all about his dad. Shit. Shit. Shit. Pulling his phone out of his pocket, he winced looking at the cracked screen. It likely broke when he landed on the hotel roof. “Shit, forgot all about that and that I dropped my phone. Someone revved their engine and it startled me,” he awkwardly lied, tapping the screen. It lit up and glitched before powering down.

Prompto nodded in understanding. “Did you wanna use my phone?”

“Please?”

Prompto handed him his phone then winced. “Be right back, gotta use the loo.”

Noctis watched him leave before slipping out onto the balcony. Or was it a patio since it was on the ground level? Shaking his head, his dialed his dad’s cell.

“Who is this?”

“Uh hey, Dad,” Noctis said sheepishly, though he felt immensely relieved the man was alive.

“Where are you? Who are they? Khara, trace the line.”

“Dad, Dad, I’m okay!” Noctis babbled in panic. He did not want his dad’s men storming the place and murdering his new found friend. “Like Galdin Quay okay.” He used the code word so his dad knew he was being honest. “Uh, a kid my age took me in.”

“Took you in—” There was some shuffling and Regis’ voice went a little incredulous. “You’re in the Nif district.”

Noctis blinked. That was over 20 blocks away from the hotel in the Fleuret turf. Oops. “Oh,” he said weakly.

Regis sighed. “What’s the name of this kid?”

“Er, Prompto Argentum.” He heard the toilet flush and stepped back inside, sliding the door shut and locking it.

“Alright, sit tight, Ulric and Amicitia’s oldest are coming to get you. ETA 10 minutes.”

“Thanks Dad,” Noctis said, hanging up.

“On his way?” Prompto asked, accepting his phone back.

“My Uncle is. Dad took the sellers out for dinner to negotiate the asking price.” Noctis couldn’t help but feel sad. He enjoyed his time with Prompto. 

Prompto grabbed a notepad from the kitchen table. “Here’s my number and my gamer ID, which the same as my MoogleMessenger,” he said ripping the paper off the pad and handing it to him.

“Thank you, Prompto,” Noctis said, pulling his wallet out to put it in there for safe keeping, “I had a lot of fun.”

“Thanks for not thinking I was being weird or creepy or something,” Prompto said shyly, fingers fiddling with the hem of his shirt. “I have a hard time making friends with people our age.”

“Heh, well I kinda did, but you seemed like a nice guy and I’m glad I was right,” Noctis grinned. “Guess I better meet them out front.”

“I’ll walk you out!” The two chatted about Monster Go as they waited in the lobby. Soon enough a black car with blacked out windows pulled up to the curb.

“That’s my ride, I’ll message you when I get home,” Noctis said.

Prompto waved at him as he left. “Bye!”

“Cheerful kid,” Nyx said when Noctis slid into the back seat.

Noctis ducked his head down to hide his smile. “Yeah.”

With his head down staring at his phone, Noctis missed the looked the two men shared. They got home forty minutes later. Getting out of the car, he ran up the steps and jumped his dad, hugging the man tightly.

“I’m glad you’re okay, son,” Regis said into his hair, hugging back just as hard. “I was worried when we couldn’t get ahold of you.”

“Phone broke in the fall,” Noctis mumbled. “Is Ravus okay?”

Regis nodded, letting him go. “Madam Via Fleuret took exception to the fact we kept her son alive and had even taken the time to get him to a safe house.” Hand on Noctis’ shoulder, he walked them into their home, their respective bodyguards following behind.

“And Drautos?”

“Dead,” Regis confirmed, his voice going hard. “Ulric left his body on a pike in front of Aldercapt’s estate.”

Noctis snickered. “I like him, he’s so creative with his messages.” The man’s sister ran the Galahdian gang with an iron fist and happily lent them her brother as a thank you for helping them clear out the Nifs encroaching on their territory and selling laced narcotics. The Galahdians easily had the best strains of weed on the market and were ready to declare a turf war when their customers started dropping like flies.

“The men who followed Drautos were also taken care of, but enough shop talk,” Regis said. “Mia has made your favourite meal and I wish to hear more about this young boy you met.” He lead them into the dining room where sushi dishes and loaded rice bowls had been placed.

Noctis visibly brightened at the mention of Prompto, completely ignoring that he knew his dad had Pelna look up everything to do with Prompto and his family. “He’s so different from the others, Dad,” he said, sitting at the dining room table. “Thank you Mia!” He called towards the kitchens. She was training under Ignis to become their next in house chef after the last one retired. “He doesn’t know who I am and wasn’t pestering me with questions about you,” Noctis said, digging into his food. He refused to pull his punches about the opinions he had about the kids his dad had allowed him play dates with. They were kids from privileged homes and they knew it. “I kind of want to get to know him more.”

Regis nodded, taking a sip from his wine glass. “I’ll allow it.”

Noctis snorted. “Lemme guess, his record came up clean.”

“Yes but not the reason,” Regis said, “I haven’t seen you smile like that in a long time.” 

“He kicked my ass at Justice Monsters,” Noctis said. “Wouldn’t slow down to ‘let me win’ it was great.”

Gladio snorted from where he was seated a couple chairs down with his father, who was Regis’ personal bodyguard. “Practically a marriage proposal.”

Noctis rolled his eyes. “Like you’re one to talk.”

After dinner, Pelna approached him with a new phone loaded with current contact numbers. Noctis headed to his room after showering and pulled the paper out with Prompto’s contact info on it. He made a new contact in his phone and sent him a message.

**Noctis [20:45]** : Hey it’s Noctis from this afternoon!

He didn’t expect a reply that night but received one within minutes.

**Prompto [20:48]** : Hey dude! Got your phone fixed already?! O_O   
**Noctis [20:48]** : lol nah got a new one before I got home just can’t live without it! :P  
**Prompto [20:49]** : big mood

They spent several hours chatting, mostly Prompto waxing poetic about chocobos until the blond finally said he had to call it a night, as he had school in the morning.

The rest of the week was spent constantly texting during school and playing online games together. Friday afternoon Noctis asked Prompto if he wanted to go out to the theatres to see the latest superhero movie.

**Prompto [15:16]** : wish I could but I don’t have any money rn (◕‸ ◕)  
**Noctis [15:16]** : my treat for getting me out of the rain  
**Prompto [15:17]** : really?!?! Okay! ( ´ ▽ ` )

They decided on a time and Noctis wrangled Nyx and Gladio into taking him back to Prompto’s place to pick him up.

**Noctis [16:20]** : here!  
**Prompto [16:21]** : (･д･) already? But the movie doesn’t start until 7  
**Noctis [16:20]** : I wanted to go to a theatre in Somnus.

He was referring to the neighbourhood he lived in on the west side of the city.

**Prompto [16:22]** : kk

They waited for a few minutes before Prompto hurried out of the building. Noctis opened the door and moved over to let him in. “Hey sorry, it didn’t occur to me to ask what theatre heh. Oh wow, is that a glass wall thingy?” He pointed to the partition separating the driver from the back seat.

Noctis was suddenly uncomfortable. “Uh yeah…”

“Like a limo!” Prompto giggled, buckling in. “But cooler, limos are so extra.”

“They are kinda hard to turn in,” Noctis agreed, relaxing in his seat. 

The two boys pulled their phones out and played King’s Knight for the duration of their trip. They arrived at the theatre and Prompto stared in awe. “I’ve heard of this place, you can have like a chickatrice dinner in the theatre instead of popcorn.” He said, getting out.

“And they have an arcade,” Noctis said, leading the way. “Oh, Prom this is Gladio, my dad hired him to make sure he knows where I am.” He exaggerated his eye roll.

Prompto beamed at him, giving him a shy wave. “Hello.” He glanced at Noctis. “Is he here cause you got lost last week?” He blushed when Gladio laughed.

“Yeah, Dad was kind of pissed I had wandered off, and he’s always worried about me,” Noctis said, approaching the cashier. He glanced at Gladio, who frowned when they heard Prompto mumble, “That must be nice.”

He handed the cashier his credit card and she in turn gave them each their own cards as well as tickets for their movie. “Here, this thing's loaded for the arcade.”

“Eh? Instead of tokens?” 

“Yeah, keeps your pants from being weighed down,” Noctis grinned, failing to mention they were actually employee cards for unlimited use. They played the shooter games and driving games the most for a couple hours until Gladio caught Noctis’ attention and motioned to his wrist, indicating their movie was going to start soon.

“Hungry?” Noctis asked, jumping out of the driver seat to the game he was playing.

“A little.” Prompto went bright red when his stomach loudly disagreed with him. 

Noctis grabbed his hand and lead him to the concession stand across the lobby. “C’mon, I want steak.”

“Haha, wait seriously?” Prompto stood in line with him and stared at the boards, clearly a little overwhelmed with the selection.

“Hey kid, do you like spicy stuff?” Gladio spoke up.

“I do when I can af- remember to pick up the ingredients,” Prompto hastily corrected himself. “What do you recommend, Mr. Gladio?”

Gladio guffawed. “Good one. You should get the green curry.”

“Never had it, but I’d be happy to try it.”

Noctis wrinkled his nose. “Sounds like it has vegetables in it.”

“Gosh, I sure hope so,” Prompto said, giggling when Noctis faked gagged. “Aw, c’mon Noct, veggies are good for ya!”

They placed their orders and were given their drinks before standing to the side to wait for their meals. 

“Really quiet for a friday night,” Prompto commented, watching the thin crowd mill about the lobby. “Oh wait, that popular band from Accordo is in town, Leviathan. Yeah, man I heard their tickets sold out in half an hour!

Noctis glanced at Gladio who shrugged. “Heh, right, yeah. Oh, look our order is ready!”

They took their trays to the theatre room and Noctis showed Prompto how to unfold the collapsable table so he could put his table down.

“This is so cool,” Prompto said, getting settled into his seat.  


 

~~~~~

 

They settled into an easy routine. Weekdays after their homework was done (Ignis openly glared when he saw Noctis attempting to shirk his studies) were spent gaming and weekdays were spent at the arcade.

A month after meeting Prompto, they were at the convenience store. Noctis’ eyes were drawn downward while they were getting snacks and he noticed duct tape on Prompto’s left shoe. “What happened to your shoe?” He asked, nibbling on a licorice piece as he watched Prompto browse the drink section.

“Hm? Oh the heel blew out,” Prompto said, his cheeks going a little pink. “I’ve been going on runs in the morning and I guess these shoes aren’t really good for running.” 

Gladio perked up from where he was reading a magazine at the magazine rack. He set it aside and approached the pair. Prompto always engaged him, not to imply Noctis refused to acknowledge his existence, but the Caelum heir was rather withdrawn. “You run?”

“Yeah, I mean I’m trying to,” Prompto said suddenly shy. “It was really hard to get started on it, but it’s been a few weeks, I think I’ve got the hang of early mornings now.” Noctis fake gagged, making the tension in Prompto’s shoulders melt away.

Gladio gave him an encouraging smile. “A few weeks? Don’t sell yourself short kid, that’s fantastic. But you really shouldn’t run with those shoes, it could damage your feet.” He heard a quiet comotion behind him and noticed the shop clerk arguing with a customer, pointing to the exit. He raised an eyebrow as the clerk grabbed the items the customer wanted to buy and waited until the customer stormed off in a huff before putting things away.

“I know, I was going to buy some more when I renewed my bus pass this week,” Prompto preened under the positive attention Gladio gave him. He pouted. “Ah man, it looks like they’re all out of that banana strawberry blend. Darn, it’s really good too.”

“Excuse me, sirs.” The boys stepped back as the clerk returned two sodas and the drink Prompto mentioned.

“Oh sweet!” He grinned, taking it off the shelf, when the clerk went back to the till.

Gladio smirked at Noctis, who rolled his eyes. “Anyway, you two were just going to game, so we could just go get those shoes now, save you the trouble.”

“Oh well,” Prompto started to say, glancing at Noctis.

Noctis shrugged. “I don’t mind. I mean, he’s not wrong.”

They paid for their snacks and headed to a shoe store Gladio said had the best shoes. He lead Prompto to the athletic section, asking him a few questions about his routine. Noctis gave the clerk a polite nod, who nervously smiled and pushed his employee to go intercept Gladio and Prompto.

“Hello sirs, what can I do for you today?” She asked, hands clasped in front of her.

Gladio patted Prompto on the back. “He needs running shoes with ample support.”

“Certainly, let’s get you seated here, sir and get your feet measured!”

Prompto blushed at being called ‘sir’, but was distracted when he saw a pair of shoes with chocobos on them. Noctis followed his line of sight and grinned. “Think they’ll make you run faster?” He teased.

Prompto poked him in the side, scoffing. “No, they’re cool!” 

The employee measured his feet then swiftly brought him a few shoes to try on, including the chocobo pair. Prompto ignored the others and tried on the chocobo pair.

“Put both shoes on and walk around so you can get a better idea of whether they fit properly or not,” the employee instructed.

“Really? You’re suppose to do that?” Prompto asked, doing as he was told.

“Well, one foot might be a stranger fit than the other,” she explained. 

He took a walk and pouted that his right foot felt cramped at the toe, until the employee swiftly had him sit back down and switched the shoe out for a slightly bigger size.

“They’re perfect!” Prompto declared, sitting back down to unlace them.

“Great! Wait, they’ll just scan the box, you don’t need to keep your old shoes,” Noctis said, grabbing Prompto’s old shoes and tossing them in the nearest trash bin.

“Wait, the laces!” Prompto protested. He went red when Gladio raised an eyebrow. “Nevermind, ignore me,” he mumbled. “How much are these, anyway?”

Two and two clicking, Gladio swiftly grabbed the box before Prompto could see the price tag. “Decently priced, c’mon, we’re annoying the staff.”

“You’re patronage is hardly a bother, sir!” The employee squeaked, hurrying up the tills. She shoved her coworker aside and hurriedly clicked away at the register. “All together?” She asked when the trio approached.

Prompto looked momentarily confused until he realised Gladio had a pair for himself. “Oh! No, no separate please.”

“Certainly!” She scanned the box and Prompto’s heart sank when he saw the price was 75 credits. “25 credits please!”

Prompto looked confused. “Uh, I think your register is messed up, aren’t they 75 credits?”

“Heh, uh, yes, but uh, clearance! They are on clearance,” She babbled. “We haven’t received the correct signs yet.”

Prompto sighed in relief and pulled his wallet out. “Oh that makes sense. I just didn’t want you to get into trouble.”

Noctis laughed, ruffling his hair. “You’re too good for this world, Prom.”

Prompto beamed. “You’re just jealous Gladio likes me.”

 

~~~~~~

 

Meeting Noctis was probably the greatest thing to ever happen to Prompto. The guy was so supportive of his obsession of chocobos and his dad’s staff were so friendly and helpful. Gladio joined him on runs in the morning and sometimes Noctis’ Uncle Nyx even joined them. Although, Prompto was beginning to suspect the guy was like that friend of your parents you just call an uncle cause he’d seen him at the convenience store one time with his friend Libertus and the guy spewed his drink when Prompto had greeted him with, “Hey Uncle Nyx!” 

“Prompto, buddy, hey how are you?” Nyx said, elbowing Libertus, who was too busy choking and laughing to shut up.

He held up a 6 pack of his favourite strawberry blend, which the store recently started carrying. “I’m starting my volunteer shifts at the chocobo ranch so I gotta meal prep bigger meals. What are you guys up to?”

“Oh you know, little business for the boss, we were hoping this guy’s boss was in to talk about some new acquisitions,” he pointed to the cashier, who was looking a little pale.

“Never a dull day, eh?” Prompto grinned before popping down the chip aisle. He didn’t see the glares the Galahdians threw at the cashier, who hurriedly pulled all the cash from the back safe and gave it to Libertus, who tucked them into his inside pocket of his leather jacket. 

Prompto headed up to the till with drinks and a few packages of peanuts in hand. 

“Is that the Wiz Chocobo Post you’re going to work at?” Libertus asked conversationally as the cashier quickly rang and bagged Prompto’s things.

Prompto nodded, oblivious to the tension in the air as he paid for his purchases. “Yup! Mr. Forlane said he couldn’t afford to pay me, but that’s ok! It’ll look great on my resume. Also chocobos!”

“You’d think the kid liked them or something,” Nyx teased.

Prompto poked him. “Don’t be mean, they’re the greatest birds in all of Eos.” He gathered his bag and waved at them. “Have a good night, guys!”

 

~~~~~

 

Prompto stared at himself in the mirror proudly as he threaded his belt through his pants. Thanks to Gladio’s support and a couple years of hard exercise he was down several pants sizes. He couldn’t wash his clothes on his abs like he probably could on Gladio, but he felt so much better about himself. He finished getting dressed and headed out. 

He wasn’t paying too much attention until he noticed an old woman, with a cane, standing at an unmarked crosswalk up ahead. He watched as she seemed to wait for cars to stop or at least ease up enough for her to start crossing. He hurried up to her and asked, “Hello, Ma’am, can I help you across?” 

Seeing her face he saw she wasn't as old as he initially thought, and was ready to backtrack when she smiled sweetly. “Certainly, young man.”

He stepped out and pointedly stared people down until a truck stopped and he offered her his arm. “Oh, my friend’s uncle has beads like that,” He spoke up, motioning to her braided hair.

“Oh? And who is your friend?” She asked, waving off the two men standing at the otherside of the street, who looked concerned that the matron of the Galahdian gang was being escorted by a Niff looking kid.

“Noctis Caelum,” Prompto said proudly. “His dad owns a bunch of businesses and stuff. I met him one time, he’s so nice!”

The woman chuckled. “Ah, Regis’ young boy, I thought you looked familiar. He speaks highly of you.”

Prompto went pink. “Really?!” He squeaked. “Wait, how do you know him?”

“Business partners m’dear,” she patted him on the arm as they reached the other side. “Thank you for your assistance, I had my hip replaced and the doctor did not want me sitting about.”

“Thought you looked a little young for a cane,” Prompto muttered carelessly, then covered his mouth, his pink cheeks going even darker as the two men, who reminded Prompto of Nyx, laughed. “Sorry! That was inappropriate!”

She laughed. “You are a gem. Now I need to go, it was lovely meeting you, Prompto.”

“Bye!” It wasn’t until he got to the bus station to get out to the ranch that he realised he never gave the woman his name.

 

~~~~

 

“Earth to Chocobutt!” 

Prompto blinked and looked up from his phone, looking guilty when he saw Noctis staring at him. “Ah, sorry, dude.”

“What are you talking to a girl or something?” Noctis teased from his bed, throwing a chip at him.

Prompto blushed, slowly moving from side to side in Noctis’ gaming chair. “No, a boy from work,” he admitted shyly.

“Really? Who?” Noctis said, sitting up.

“Jake.” Prompto clicked at his phone and pulled up a photo of a mousy-haired boy. “He’s 20!”

Noctis frowned. “That’s a little old, isn’t it?”

Prompto waved a hand dismissively. “I’ll be 18 in a couple months, it’s fine.”

Noctis still look unimpressed and pulled his phone out. “Is he at least offering to take you to that nice diner off 95th?”

“Actually he offered to go to that restaurant your dad owns, the one near here? But my stomach doesn’t like the food so yeah we’re going to the Tenebrian place instead.”

“What’s his score on Justice Monsters?”

“Uh, he prefers sports over video games,” Prompto said.

Noctis curled his lip in distaste as he texted away. “Ew. But I hope you have fun.”

“Thanks Noct!”

 

~~~~~

 

Prompto was standing with Jake at the host’s table waiting for her to get them a table, trying to be engaged in what the guy was saying about the latest blitzball tournament when a familiar figure caught his eye. “Oh hey Monica, hey Cor! What are you guys doing here?”

“Hey Prompto, fancy meeting you here. My date ghosted me, and this lump was going to just ooze around his apartment so I decided to bring him out with me,” she said cheerfully.

“Awe that was nice of you! He really does need to get out more.” Prompto smiled.

Jake paused in his ramblings and looked at the pair. “Friends of yours?” He asked.

“Yeah, this is Monica and Cor, they work for Noct’s dad at Lucis Industries, pushing paper or whatever admin work entails,” Prompto said smiling when the hostess came back. He completely missed Jake’s face going slack as they were shown to their table and given menus.

While Prompto poured over the menu, Jake watched as Monica and Cor were seated at the table behind Prompto, giving Jake a clear view as the woman took a knife off the table and gave him a stern look before she began cleaning her nails with it. 

Prompto set his menu down and was about to ask Jake if he had decided when there was a clang by their feet. “What was that?” He said looking to the side where a knife was sticking out of the carpet by Jake’s foot. “Oh dude, you nearly hit your foot!” He exclaimed.

“Uh, oops, clumsy me,” Jake said, as Monica mouthed to him, ‘My baby,’ then took Cor’s knife and pretended to run it across her throat, before smiling sweetly at him. Cor for his part just stared the kid down.

 

~~~~

 

**Noctis [22:20]** : How was ur date?  
**Prompto [22:21]** : Ok I guess hes really boring tho (◕‸ ◕)  
**Noctis [22:21]** : Awe that sucks  
**Prompto [22:21]** : All he talked about was sports! Not even chocobo racing just blitzball idek how to play that game! (≖ ︿ ≖)  
**Noctis [22:21]** : lol did he talk about fishing?  
**Prompto [22:21]** : Lol if he had I woulda ran from the restaurant screaming sorry buddy  
**Noctis [22:22]** : *cries into a fresh salmon*  
**Prompto [22:22]** : lol

 

~~~~~

 

**Gladio [13:03]** : you see the latest post on Twitter? 

Noctis was in the middle of private classes with Ignis when he received Gladio’s text but had to wait until they finished since the last time he answered his phone in the middle of Ignis’ lecture he had to write a 2500 word essay on the history of the telephone. They finished a half hour later with Ignis giving him two weeks to work on a social project detailing the harm vs. good legal corporations have against the poor working class.

**Noctis [13:35]** : nope gimme a sec 

He pulled the app up and looked up SunshineSpotter, a private twitter for documenting Prompto’s interactions with the mob. He absolutely loved it, sometimes there was a photo, heavily edited so if cops found a way to access the account, there wouldn’t be anything incriminating. Afterall it was just a fictional RP account.

SunshineSpotter

Met up with BadOmenCrowe and TechieKh while they were shaking down a punk for a gambling debt, they had the guy pinned against the alleyway 

SunshineSpotter

wall while chatting with the kid.

Noctis laughed when he saw the photo attached was a cartoon version of the events (the real photo in the company drop box) Prompto there with Crowe appearing to lean against the wall, the loser pinned up against the wall. The angle of the shot indicated Pelna was the one who took the shot.

**Noctis [13:38]** : lol so what does that place the betting pool at?  
**Gladio [13:45]** : 4k he notices when he’s 25, I think this will up it to 5

He dearly loved his friend, but Noctis had never met anyone so oblivious before. He didn’t think it would go so long because when Prompto met Axis and Sonitus six months into their new friendship, they had been leaving the scene of a grizzly murder. They’d chopped the guy’s body up and were taking the plastic lined duffle bags to the car when a strap on one of the bags snapped, causing Axis to drop it.

_ Prompto had been walking by with a couple dogs from the local shelter, when he stopped and helped Axis load the bag into the trunk. “Wow you guys have a lot of tools, eh?” _

_ “Eh?” Sonitus said eloquently. Prompto pointed to the tool kits already in the trunk.  _

_ “Renovations,” Axis said quickly, “Landlord had tweaker squatting in an unrented suite.” _

_ “Aah, that’s super unfortunate,” Prompto nodded, grunting when the dogs jerked against their leashes. “Ok, ok! Sorry guys, Delila and Princess are needy. See ya! Also the shelter is having an adoption event if you guys know anyone looking for a cute dog or cat to take to their forever homes!” _

Noctis had to admit his favourite memory of his friend was when Prompto and Cor met. Cor stalked the kid for a week because of his resemblance to a certain Nif mob boss (Prompto mentioning offhand he didn’t know his dad only further fueling that suspicion) and actually stopped when Prompto had approached him while at work.

_ “Hi, I saw you staring, do you need any help getting a chocobo?” Prompto asked, dusting straw off his Wiz Chocobo Post overalls. “Or supplies?“ _

_ “No, I was just browsing and noticed the icon on your shirt, my, ahem, girlfriend is really into them,” Cor coughed. _

_ Prompto’s face lit up. “Really? Ohmigosh they’re the best! I didn’t think anyone out here liked 7th Heaven, they’re from Midgar and seldom tour out here, but your lady is in luck, there’s a concert next month! And they’ll be selling they’re newest album Gaia’s Saviour at that concert!” _

_ Cor’s mouth quirked up slightly, clearly sold on the kid’s genuine cheerful, innocent, ‘I want to help and love everyone’ personality. “I’ll let her know, thank you.” _

Now that Noctis thought about it, Prompto really had endeared himself to not just the Caelum clan, but the Galahdian gang too. Nyx had nearly shat a brick when he had come home to visit his family and found Prompto having afternoon tea with his mom and sister, chatting like old friends.

_ “Oh hey Uncle Nyx! Your sister adopted an old cat from the shelter I volunteer at and asked me to come with to set her place up for him,” Prompto said, wincing when Selena spewed her tea all over the floor. _

_ “I thought you were being ironic calling him that,” she half coughed, half laughed, getting up to get a towel to clean up her mess. _

_ Nyx smirked. “I’m the best uncle he’s ever had.” _

“Thinking about your boyfriend?” Luna’s sweet voice pierced through the fog over his head.

“Yeah,” Noctis said distractedly, blinking when her words registered. “Wait, what? Oh hey Luna.”

She laughed. She was there to have a late lunch with him while their parents discussed business in another room. “Hello Noct, where is Prompto? Ending world hunger?”

Noctis smiled and lead her to the balcony where Mia had already set them up with sandwiches and tomato soup for lunch. “He visits an old folks home. I’d join but I’m pretty sure they’d think I was Dad or something.”

Luna nodded. “That boy had truly been a blessing to your family. Mother said your father was looking quite lively.”

“You two really need to meet, he’d fall in love with Pryna and Umbra,” Noctis said, nibbling on his sandwich. “His outlook on life is something else.”

“Don’t speak with food in your mouth, dear,” Luna said, her phone chirping. She read the notification and frowned, swiping to read further. “Hm, that may happen sooner than expected.”

She held her phone out so he could see the photos that had been messaged to her. First one was of Prompto being crowded into a wall by an unknown man, the angle and blurriness indicated the photo was taken from across the street. The next one was clearly the man intimidating Prompto and the last one was of Cor tackling the guy off him.

Noctis quickly pulled his own phone out and called Prompto. Only to end the call when he realised he technically shouldn’t know this was happening. Instead, he messaged Cor.

**Noctis [14:21]** : IS PROMPTO OK?!?!?!  
**Noctis [14:21]** : ???  
**Noctis [14:21]** : ???  
**Noctis [14:22]** : ???  
**Noctis [14:22]** : ???  
**Noctis [14:22]** : ???  
**Cor [14:22]** : Shaken but ok. stop texting me  
**Cor [14:22]** : ETA 10 min

Noctis scowled and got up.

“Where are you going?!” Luna asked, getting up to follow after him. 

“Meet up with Cor at the front door.”

Cor arrived in less than 10 minutes and Noctis ripped the front door open as he approached with Prompto under his arm.

“Prompto?! Are you ok what happened?!” Noctis babbled, hands skittering over Prompto’s frame but not quite touching. Prompto’s lip was split and the skin around it was swollen and discoloured. That was going to be a nasty bruise. Prompto went to him for a hug and Noctis mouthed a thank you to Cor. The man nodded, his mouth in a thin line and he left, likely to inform the moron, who touched Prompto, he missed the No Harm Memo. Noctis shut the door and led Prompto back to his rooms, shaking his head when Ignis peered around the corner, concern written all over his face.

“Y-Yeah,” he sniffled, hiding his face in Noctis’ shirt. “A guy j-jumped me, s-said I wasn’t allowed to be there cause it was his gang’s turf.”

Noctis glanced at Luna, arms tightening slightly around his best friend’s waist. “That’s awful, I’m so sorry that happened.”

“Cor was there though, he saved me,” Prompto sat down on the couch. “C-Could I get an ice pack for my face?”

Luna clapped Noctis on the shoulder and disappeared. “Sure thing Prom,” Noctis said, sitting on the coffee table. “Did you want me to go with you to file a police report?” He asked, happy to make an example of the asshole who touched his friend like that.

Prompto gave him a wobbly smile. “It won’t do much good, Noct. The cops don’t like Nif-looking people. They’d probably say I did it for attention or something.”

Noctis narrowed his eyes at him. “Prom, have they given you problems before?” He knew the answer already from what Pelna had gathered but wanted Prompto to feel comfortable telling him himself.

Prompto shook his head. “Not me but, erm, my neighbour. She…” Prompto fidgeted with the charms on his house key ring. His body language screamed he was lying but Noctis let him continue uninterrupted. “She was assaulted and they said she went looking for trouble being out so late. She was finishing her shift at the brothel!” He glared angrily at his hands, blinking when an ice pack was thrust into his line of sight. “Oh, thank you, Miss…?”

“Luna,” she said, sitting next to Prompto.

Prompto pressed the ice pack to his mouth. “Oh! Miss Lunafreya? Mr. Caelum speaks so highly of you. He said when your mom hands over the Fleuret Empire to you, he’ll be delighted to work with you. Do you know Madam Ulric too? She’s such a sweet lady.”

Luna’s eyes sparkled with the effort not to laugh. “It’s always good to know Noctis’ dad likes me. I do and that’s not how I’d describe her.” Noctis smirked, thinking of the cage match they’d attended two weeks ago. Miriam Ulric’s hip replacement the year prior did wonders for her fighting skills.

Prompto looked confused and Noctis quickly jumped in. “Yeah, so not really how I wanted you two to meet, but well, no time like the present. Did you guys want to get takeout and watch movies?”

Luna smiled. “Certainly! What’s a little Netflix and chill between friends?”

Noctis grinned watching his best friend laugh, then wince cause his lip hurt, then keep giggling.

Yeah, they were going to be okay.

 

~~~~~

 

Cor gave Prompto a ride home later that night. “Thanks for saving me, Cor,” Prompto said when they pulled up to his little apartment. “I don’t what I’d do without you.”

“I’d probably have fewer chocobo feathers in my car,” Cor mused, his lip quirking up when Prompto scowled at him in mock rage. He parked the car and got out to walk Prompto to the door. “But seriously, you have my number, you need anything, night or day, you call or text me, okay?”

Prompto hugged him and Cor returned the hug. “You’re a good man, I don’t care what anyone says.” 

“And you’re stronger than people know,” Cor said, letting him go after a moment. “Now shoo, Monica is making me house sit her plants while she’s away and she’ll kill me if they die.”

“Ooo talk to them! Plants are very social,” Prompto said earnestly. Cor stared at him for moment as if trying to decide if he was pulling his leg or not. “I’m serious! Patricia was floppy and dying when I got her and now she’s thriving and blooming!”

“... Patricia?”

“She’s a winter solstice cactus,” Prompto explained. “Alrighty, I’ll see you around!” 

He headed inside and went upstairs to his apartment. Shutting the door, he locked it and leaned against it for a moment. Now that he didn’t have distractions, his brain was whirling with thoughts.

He wandered through the apartment to check the windows, making sure they were locked and covered and that his phone was off and in his pocket before going to his computer. He turned it on and made sure his VPN was working before entering incognito mode and getting to work. What he hadn’t told Noctis was what the guy had said. “ _ The fuck is a twink like you doing wandering through Caelum territory? The nearest Fleuret brothel is that way _ .” 

Hours later, he stared at all the info he dug up. Not that he really had to do any hard digging, he was embarrassed to say. His best friend of two and a half years was the heir to a criminal empire. Luna and her brother were in the same boat for the Fleuret syndicate(he hysterically giggled at the thought of them having a duel for the throne to a brothel legacy) and Nyx’s mom was apparently a champion fighter in the illegal fight rings cops had raided a few times, his sister having taken up the mantel for the Galahdian gang. Every article he got his hands on painted everyone as these cold, blood-thirsty animals. 

The articles about Cor were the worst. He’d been arrested multiple times for murder, attempted murder, assault, and only one of those charges stuck. Based on the timeline he had put together, that charge was before he’d been recruited into the Caelum clan at 13. Every charge after that, regardless of hard evidence and witness statements (the few ballsy enough to come forward), his lawyers always got him off on a technicality of something or another. 

“ _ But seriously, you have my number, you need anything, night or day, you call or text me, okay? _ ”

He sounded so serious when he said that. Well, he sounded serious when he said anything. Except when he was making snarky jokes at Nyx. 

He sat on his worn couch and hugged the stuffed chocobo Noctis had won him at the Moogle Chocobo festival last year. He thought about the last interaction he’s had with Regis Caelum and how the man had mentioned how much livelier their home was with Prompto around. At the time he’d felt like he was on cloud nine knowing Noctis’ dad liked having him around. Now he wasn’t sure. But it wasn’t like they used him for nefarious reasons like being a drug mule or anything. Heck, Pelna had given him and Noctis supreme shit when he caught them trying to sneak alcohol from Noctis’ dad’s liquor cabinet, which another hysterical giggle escaped him at the irony. The fact the guy had given them a lecture about underage drinking yet according to the Insomnia Daily News was routinely known for hacking into the traffic cameras and fucking with the time stamps or straight up disabling them was priceless.

He took a deep breath to calm his nerves. If anything they were kind to him. Always happy to give him a lift or a helping hand. It made him wonder how often he’d stumbled onto them doing something less than legal, but they never tried to push him away. It spoke volumes about a gang of murderers and thieves verus law enforcement, who often victim blamed his mom when she tried to call them when they had been robbed or when she’d been assaulted on her way home from work at the plant in Lestallum. 

The LPD were horrible to the women working at the plant and one night his mom had come home when he was ten, blood splattered on her face and had him pack his backpack and they fled to Insomnia. She never said what happened and Prompto was too scared to ask. Their new life in Insomnia was hard. The neighbourhood they lived in wasn’t nice and the neighbours never spoke to them. It didn’t seem any different from Lestallum in his opinion.

He was fifteen when he came home from school and found out his mom had drastically changed careers and was working at a brothel to keep their apartment. And he only found out because one of her Johns had followed her home and was banging on the closed balcony door. Prompto had called the police, who eventually arrived but scolded his mom for leading the man on and threatened to take Prompto away if she didn’t shape up.

He spent rest of the day consoling his mom and promising not to do that again. He helped as much as he could around the house, picking up odd jobs for a few extra credits so his mom could have a night off. One day he was tidying up the living room and found her university papers on zoology at the bottom of an old beer box. He asked her about it over dinner and she’d explained she had just graduated from Gralea University to work on her career as a zoologist when she became pregnant with Prompto. She swore keeping him was best decision she’d ever had. 

“Dad didn’t want me, huh,” he’d said quietly.

“That sperm donor isn’t listed on your birth certificate for a reason, Prom-Pom,” Anna Argentum had said seriously. “As far as he’s concerned we never made the trip to Lucis.”

“If there was a job posting, would you take it?”

Anna brushed Prompto’s hair off his face. “Baby, those postings are out in the field and would take me away from you for months.”

“Safer than here,” he’d argued. “‘Sides, I can take care of myself, you taught me how to cook and pay the bills and it’d be a few months at a time. When I’m old enough to work then we can get a better place.”

Prompto didn’t understand at the time why his mom had started crying. He did now though. He was just relieved he finally convinced her to apply to a job posting Insomnia University had posted for a six month trip into the swamp lands north of Altissia. They’d used their meager savings to celebrate her getting the job by going out and getting her a fancy backpack.

“This is for you, Prompto.” It was the morning Anna was due to leave and Prompto was at the university with her to see her off. She’d handed him a wrapped box and urged him to open it. Inside was a gorgeous camera. Not top of the line, but not cheap either. “I want you to email me pictures every day, okay? Even if it’s to complain about the upstairs neighbours.” She sniffled.

He’d seen her in person three times in the last two years. It sucked, but every time he saw her she looked so happy. And true to his word, his volunteer-turned-paying job at the Wiz Chocobo Post gave them enough money to get them out of the Nif district and closer to downtown where it was a little safer. His emails with selfies with Noctis had been received with concern that made so much more sense when he realised his mom figured out who Noctis was before he did. He groaned. His poor mother was probably beside herself with worry that her son was consorting with the grandson of the infamous mobster Mors Caelum.

* _ Ding! _ *

Speaking of his mother, his email pinged informing him of a message from her. Opening it, he grinned when he read she was on her way home and she’d be there within the week.

He attached a photo of the chocobo chicks that had hatched when he was at work and said he couldn’t wait for her to see the new place and meet his best friend.

He got up to pee and when he finished his business and washed his hands, he grimaced at his reflection in the mirror. His face looked like a wreck from where that thug had punched him in the face. He dried his hands and went back out to the living room, blinking when he saw rays of sunlight peeking out from the blinds. Oops. He hadn’t mean to stay up all night. Good thing it was Saturday. Deciding to call it a night (day?), he put his notepad in a drawer, shut his computer down, and headed to bed.

 

~~~~~

 

* _ Knock! Knock! Knock! _ *

Prompto groaned, rolling onto his back. He stared up at the ceiling for a moment, trying to figure out why the sun was in the wrong place when he heard knocking again. He got out of bed and pulled on a shirt and stumbled to the door. Opening the door, he blinked blearily seeing Noctis and Gladio standing there. 

Noctis for his part looked relieved to see him. “Hey! You weren’t answering your phone and you were complaining of headache last night and I started thinking you might have had a concussion and I got worried when I kept going to voicemail, ‘what if he fell down the stairs?’ or ‘off his balcony?’ or--”

“He was worried,” Gladio said, covering Noctis’ mouth.

Prompto, for his part, was not awake enough for the word vomit and just nodded. “Nap?” He stepped back to let them in.

Noctis licked Gladio’s hand to make him remove it. “Nap? Yeah dude, we can nap. How’s your lip?”

“Eh.” It was sore now that he was acknowledging it but he wanted more sleep. Noctis followed him to his room and shed his shoes and hoodie, happy to spoon his best friend while Gladio shook his head and stayed out in the living room.

 

~~~~

 

Gladio waited until he heard them go quiet before looking over the apartment critically. Pelna had received notifications from his extensive computer program that kept tabs on articles written about the gangs, tracking anyone who started digging. Since as far as the general public was concerned the Caelums dealt with international shipping, the Fleurets with top of the line clothing brands, and the Galahdians with farming. And last night his program freaked out. Except the person was using a VPN and Pelna was having a hard time trying to figure out where the person’s location was until Ignis snapped his fingers and said, “I helped Prompto get a VPN.”

Gladio wandered over to where Prompto’s computer was set up and rifled through the papers and went through the drawers. He picked up his notepad, flipping through the detailed notes Prompto made on all the news posts about them. He was impressive with the little notes he’d added, kid wasn’t as obtuse as they’d all first thought. He pulled his phone out and sent a mass text to the enforcers.

**Gladio [13:56]:** Crowe wins the betting pool. Thug who tried to mess with him clued him in

He sent another one to Regis.

**Gladio [13:56]:** He finally figured it out. Doesn’t seem overly upset. Or he’s too tired ATM. Will update later

He returned the notepad and plopped down on the couch, settling in to abuse Prompto’s Netflix account.

 

~~~~~

 

Prompto woke up properly a couple hours later. He shifted around so he could stare at his friend’s face. His brain caught up on everything that happened in the last 24 hours. Making a decision he poked incessantly at Noctis’ forehead until he grumbled and grabbed his hand. 

“Wake up sleepyhead,” Prompto teased, sitting up.

“Ugh, ‘m up, ‘m up,” he blinked at stared up at Prompto. “Feel better?”

“Sure do, c’mon, sun’s still up and I want tacos.”

Noctis laughed and got up.

They headed into the living room where Gladio had passed out on the couch and Prompto pressed a finger to his lips, going to his bookshelf where a ladies’ swimsuit magazine was and he waited until Noctis had his phone out and ready before carefully setting it open on Gladio’s face. Who woke up confused to the sound of laughter. “You little shits!”

Later on after a late lunch and a few hours of gaming, Prompto found his phone and turned it on, wincing when a slew of messages and missed calls from Noctis popped up. He read through them all, feeling a little guilty with how more concerned each message got.

He curled up against Noctis when the other teen came back from the bathroom. “Sorry I worried you.”

Noctis wrapped an arm over his shoulders. “S’okay, sorry I overreacted.”

* _ Click _ *

They looked over to where Gladio had his phone up. “I’m going to get tooth rot from you two,” he complained.

Noctis blew him a kiss, shifting so he could get back to gaming while Prompto giggled. He scrolled through his contact list and clicked on Cor’s name.

**Prompto [18:33]:** Hey do you know where I could go for defensive training? Like hand2hand or w.e.?  
**Cor [18:40]:** Yes, are you free next weekend?  
**Prompto [18:40]:** I can be (◠‿◠✿)  
**Cor [18:40]:** Good, then we’ll see you at 6am on Saturday.  
**Prompto [18:41]:** YAY! ( ´ ▽ ` ) Thanks Cor (◕▽◕✿)

Cor sent another message with a thumbs up (he was so proud the man was using emojis!) along with an address to what Moogle Maps said was a little Galahdian martial arts hall. He clicked on a link that lead to the hall’s website, surprised to see Tredd owned it and ran the classes. He recalled the notes he took on the guy and that the guy had a particular fondness for tracking down dealers from the Niflheim gang and beating them so badly the coroner’s had to use dental records to figure out the identity of the bodies. Second best fighter in the ring.

He put his phone away and rested his head on Noctis’ shoulder, watching him play.

Gladio meanwhile, sent a message to Regis with the photo he took attached.

**Gladio [18:41]:** Attachment: 1 image  
**Gladio [18:41]:** Crisis averted, did you want me to ask him about his search history?  
**Regis [18:45]:** I’ll have Cor talk to him, he seems to like him best.  
**Gladio [18:46]:** Okay

 

~~~~~

 

Bright and early that following Saturday, Prompto arrived to see Tredd unlocking the hall. “Morning,” he waved. He had his school gym bag with indoor shoes and a water bottle, unsure of what the dress code was for the hall.

“Hey kid,” Tredd said, holding the door open for him. “Heard you were looking to learn how to kick ass. Cute face not cutting it anymore?” He teased.

Prompto blushed. “I guess,” he mumbled. “Should I change my shoes?” He looked the place over as Tredd flipped the lights on. The space was open and spacious with two doors at the back, one marked Employees Only and the other the washroom.

“Barefoot is preferred actually,” Tredd said, pulling his own footwear off.

Prompto set his bag down and started unlacing his shoes. The front door opened and Luche walked in with Crowe, both of them pausing in mid conversation when they saw Prompto. “Oh wow, Ulric wasn’t joking when he said you got up at this hour,” Luche commented.

Prompto smiled, setting his shoes under the bench. “Yup, been doing it for over a year now!”

“Good so let’s get some stretching done then we’ll work on the basics.” Tredd instructed.

The four of them did stretching together before Luche and Crowe went to one side of the room to work together while Tredd walked Prompto through positions and proper techniques, taking the time to answer Prompto’s questions. Prompto was delighted to be shown how to throw Tredd over his hip and how to properly fall when thrown himself.

Tredd was holding up a mat for Prompto to punch when Cor arrived. 

Prompro visibly brightened when he saw him, glancing at the time to see it was noon. “Oh hey! Thought you slept in.”

“Eyes on me, Prompto,” Tredd said, bringing Prompto’s attention back to him.

“Right, sorry.” He focused on punching the mat while Cor got changed. 

“How’s his progress?” Cor asked, watching them work, while he got his gloves on.

“His footwork is a mess, but he’s fast,” Tredd said, motioning for Prompto to a break.

“Have you started grappling yet?” 

Tredd smirked. “Not yet, did you want to do the honours?”

“Sure.” 

Tredd turned to Prompto and waited for him to finish drinking before speaking. “Alright, now that we’ve gone through the various techniques and such, kick his ass,” he pointed to Cor. Luche and Crowe paused and chuckled at his paled expression.

“Hey don’t sweat it, kid,” Luche said, walking up to him to pat him on the shoulder. “Tredd and Madam Ulric are the only ones capable of putting this guy down and keeping him down in one-to-one. Rest of us have to gang up on him.”

“Right,” Prompto said weakly, but rolled his shoulders and squared up with Cor on the mats, the other three stepping back to give them room. He kept his fists up and bounced on his toes, jabbing at Cor, who easily deflected. He soon figured out Cor wasn’t the type to toy with his opponents like Crowe was and grabbed Prompto’s leg when he tried to kick him and twisted, forcing Prompto to follow the twist or risk his ankle getting broken. He immediately bounced back up and managed to land a punch to Cor’s gut. His grin faded as Cor attacked with multiple jabs, forcing Prompto to block, opening himself up to a  sweeping kick that sent Prompto back onto the floor.

“Huh, so that’s what you do to people,” Prompto blurted out, blinking up at the tiled ceiling.

Cor lowered his fists and helped Prompto up. “What I do to people?”

Prompto could feel his sweaty face getting even warmer when he realised everyone was looking at him. “Um, you know,” he motioned with his hands awkwardly, “T-The mob stuff.” 

He watched Tredd and Cor share a look before Cor said, “Let’s have a seat.” 

Prompto nodded, trying to keep his anxiety down as Tredd moved the benches so they face each other. He sat on one and the others sat away from him to avoid crowding him.

“First off, what’s the real reason you wanted to learn how to fight?” Cor asked.

Prompto fiddled with the label on his water bottle. “That guy who attacked me last week, he made a comment about me walking through Caelum territory and that I belong with the Fleurets.” He missed Crowe bristling at the implication that the Fleuret brothels allowed minors on the property. “That’s uh, when I kind of clued in.”

Tredd smirked. “Not going to lie, kid, last two years have been entertaining as hell.”

Prompto stuck his tongue out at them. “Anyway I was up all night researching you all.”

“And you’re still here,” Cor said carefully.

Prompto shrugged. “I mean, I don’t condone drug use and stuff, but I guess it’s just hard to side with the police when they aren’t exactly setting a good example of standing up for the most vulnerable citizens.”

“Your mother,” Cor said simply.

Prompto nodded, his face reflecting the sadness he felt thinking about how much she had to go through. “She’s doing better now, she’s working in the field for the zoology department at IU. And she’s on her way home this weekend. I hope. It’s kinda dangerous out there. And well, befriending Noctis has been the best thing to ever happen to me, I don’t want to lose any of that. This.”

“You understand we aren’t going to stop how things have been going, right?” Cor rested his forearms on his knees.

“Well, you never stopped when I accidentally walk in on your less than legal activities,” Prompto pointed out. “Wait, does this mean I gotta me initiated in or something? I don’t hurt bugs, I’m don’t think I could hurt a person.” He suddenly looked very worried.

Crowe smiled. “Pretty sure Regis would never do that to you. He wants his son to be nothing but happy and if that means his son’s best friend happens to be a little ray of innocent sunshine in this dreary city, he’ll make it so.”

Prompto slumped, looking immensely relieved. “That’s a relief, I’d hate to quit all the volunteer work I do.”

“Miriam Ulric would have our heads if we corrupted you, she likes you too much,” Luche said.

“So, what happens now?”

“Keep coming here for self-defence training, you graduate high school, think about college, keep doing the Gods’ work,” Crowe said simply.

“And proclaim your undying love for Noctis so I can win the bet,” Tredd grinned, grunting when Crowe smacked him in the chest.

Prompto went a brilliant shade of red. “My what?! We’re just friends!”

Prompto missed Cor discreetly pulling his phone out and sending a message off, as he snarked back and forth with Tredd.

  
  


**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! We decided to do this in two parts cause the next part is not wholesome at all. I watched Tom Hardy's Lawless and was inspired >:3


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